Letter feed and separator device



April 21, 1953 w. 'r. LA BORE 2,635,374 r I LETTER FEED AND SEPARATOR DEVICE Filed Sept. 22, 1950 INVENTOR I Wa/fer V Tl a 60rd ATTORNEY I Patented Apr. 21, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LETTER FEED AND SEPARATORYDEVICE Walter '1. La Bore, Stamford, Gonm, .assi'gnor to Pitney-Bowes, Inc., Stamford, Conn., a corporation of Delaware Claims.

This invention relates to a device for use in a power fed postage printing machine with particular regard to the feed and separation of letters from a superimposed stack of letters, and is an improvement of the device disclosed in Patent 2,273,288.

It is the principal object of the invention to provide a simplified means for providing a quick adjustment for frictional letter engaging elements which cooperate with means for feeding the lowermost letter from a stack of letters.

It is another object to provide adjustment devices for the frictional letter engaging elements which are controlled by lifting a knob to raise the said letter engaging element to provide for the release of an occasional thick letter, by rotation of a thumb screw at substantially the same location as the knob, to effect a quick fixed adjustment of the letter engaging elements, and by rotation of the knob to change the tension applied to said letter engaging elements.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is disclosed in the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a front elevational view of the letter separating device with a part of the letter feed means and feed plate shown in section; and

Fig. 2 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 2--2 of Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings in detail, a letter feed hopper, indicated at I0, includes a front wall II, the lower end of which is spaced above a feed plate I2.

A feed pulley I4 is positioned below the feed plate l2, and has an extended portion l5 toprovide for a so-called bump feed. A frictional surfaced belt IB, extending from said pulley l4, cooperates with a driven belt I! to effect the feed of each letter fed from the hopper l 0.

A separator unit is provided to restrictthefeed of single letters from the stack and includes a substantially H-shaped supporting bracket 18, which is yieldably supported by a pair of yokeshaped parallel links I 9-), the latter being pivotally mounted on lugs 21 projecting from the front wall I l of the hoper l0.

Three frictional surfaced elements 22, prefer..-

ably abrasive wheels, are supported on. a shaft.

jects upwardly from a central connecting bridge portion of the yieldable supporting bracket l8.

2 The upper end of said rod 2'! is slid'ably mounted within an-opening 29 in the thumb screw 25 and has a 'knob 3| thereon. The lower end 20 is retained within the bearing 28 by means of a clip washer as indicated at 20c.

By means of a compression spring 32, pressure is applied to normally urge the bracket l8 and frictional separator elements 22 downward. Said spring 32 has the upper end thereof confined within a cavity 33 in the lower-end of the thumb screw 26, and has the lower end thereof in engagement with a square flanged portion 34 of an internally threaded collar 35. By means of a threaded portion 211;, of the rod 21, the said collar 35 is adapted to be moved either upward or downward when the knob 3| is rotated. Rotation of the collar 35 is prevented by the confinement of the flat edges of the square flange between two flat surfaces 36-36 of the bracket l8, as best shown in Fig. 1. Pressure of the spring 32-is thus adapted to be increased or decreased when the knob 3| is rotated to move the collar upward or downward respectively, to

thereby" increase or decrease the pressure of the.

frictional surfaced elements 22 against the surface of the lowermost letter when it is fed therebeneath. -A washer'3fl, urged against a shoulder 3011, at the lower end of the rod 21 by a spring 40-, will force the rod 21 upward to take up play in the support thereof and will absorb shock.

The letters indicated at L and stacked in the hopper III, will vary in thickness, but, by rotating the knob 31 or thumb screw 26, it i possible to adjust the tension of the spring 32 or the height of the elements 22 respectively to a degree which will permit the feed of single letters of a reasonable range of thicknesses.

It will be noted that either of these two adjustments can be effected at precisely the same position of the hand, by either the rotation of the knob 31 orthe thumb screw 26;

Occasionally an extra heavy piece of mail will be mixed. with the hopper supply and when. this piece reaches the frictional elements 22 the resistance will be too great to permit feeding. An upward pull on the knob 31 will quickly free the heavy piece. Release of the knob 3| will allow the device to return to its ori inal set position.

The structure of the device further includes a screw threaded member 35awhich is adopted to be screwed into a threaded opening 3'! in the lower surface of. the thumb screw support 25. A, clearance cavity 38 is provided in the member 36a for the threaded end of the thumb screw to enter, also a clearance opening 39 for the set closer to the surface of the feed plate than Whenever it becomes necessary to for letters. adjust the thumb screw for a run of cards, the

screw is rotated until the lower end becomes seated as at Ma. I a 1 A guard 42 is also provided, which guard has ears 43 secured to the shaft 23 and includes a curved shielding surface to permit only a few of the lowermost letters to engage the frictional surfaced elements 22.

i What is claimed is: r r

1. In a letter feeding and separating device, the combinationwith a hopper having a stack of letters therein and a bracket yieldably supported on one wall thereof, the bracket including friction surfaced elements thereon positioned in the path of the lowermost letters to restrict feeding to that of the lowermost letter during a feeding cycle of operation; of devices to'limit the position of the friction surfaced elements in a downward direction and comprising, asupporton the hopper ,wall, a rnember adjustably positioned within said support, a manipulative rod freely positioned'withinan opening in said adjustable member and having the lower end thereof secured to and rotative within aportion of the yieldable bracket, a screw thread on the lower. portion of the rod and an internal threaded collar screwed thereon, means to prevent rotation of said collar, a'coil spring compressed between the adjustable member and threaded collar, and a knob at the opposite end of the rod seated against the surface of the adjustable member, whereby the bracket may be manually raised by an upward-thrust of said knob to remove the friction surfaced elements from the path of the lowermost letter or a change of compression may be effected in the coil spring by rotation of the knob, and whereby vertical adjustment of the position of the yieldable bracket may be made by adjustment of the adjustable member,

2. In a letter feeding and separating device, the combination with a hopper having a stack of-letters therein and a bracket yieldably supported on one wall thereof, the bracket including a plurality of friction surfaced elements thereonpositioned in the path of the lowermost letters to restrict feeding to that of the lowermost letter during a feeding cycle of operation; of devices 'to limit the position of the friction surfaced elements in a downward direction and comprising, a support on the hopper wall and having an adjustable thumb screw therein, a

manipulative rod freely positioned within an axial opening in said thumb screw and having thelower end thereof secured to and rotative within a portion of the yieldable bracket, a screw thread on'the lower portion of the rod and an internal threaded collar screw thereon,means associated with the collar to prevent rotation while allowing axial adjustment thereof, a coil spring compressed between the adjustable thumb surface of the thumb screw, whereby the bracket may be manually raised by an upward thrust of said knob to remove the friction surfaced elements from the path of the lowermost letter or a change of compression may be effected in the coil spring by rotation of the knob and whereby vertical adjustment of the position of the yieldable bracket maybe made by rotationof the thumb screw;

3. In a letter feeding and separating device,

7 the combination with a hopper having a stack of letters therein and a bracket yieldably supported on one'wall thereof, the bracket including friction surfaced. elements thereon positioned in thepath of the lowermost letters to restrict feeding to thatof the lowermost letter during a feeding cycle of operation; of devices to limit the position of the friction surfaced elements in adownward direction and comprising, a support on the hopper wall having an adjustable thumb screw, therein, a manipulative rod positioned within an axial opening in said thumb screw and having one endthereof secured to and rotative within the yieldable bracket, screw threads on the lower portion of the rod, an internally threaded collar mounted on the screw threads of said rod, acoil spring around said rod and compressed between the thumb screw and collar tolurge' theyieldable bracket downward, the collar having flat side portions confined between fiat portionsof the bracket, and a knob at the upper, end of the rod seated against the upper surface of the thumb screw, whereby the bracket may be manually raised by an upward thrustof said knob .to remove the friction surfaced elements from the path of the lowermost letter, or a, cha nge'of compression may be effected in the coil spring by rotation of the knob, and whereby vertical adjustment of the position of the yieldable bracket may be made by rotation of the thumb screw.

4. In a letter feeding and separating device, the combination with a hopper having a stack of letters therein and a bracket yieldably supported on one wall thereof, the bracket including friction surfacedelements thereon positioned in'the path of the lowermost letters to restrict feeding to that of the lowermost letter during a feeding cycle of' operation; of devices to limit the position of the friction surfaced elementsin one direction and comprising, a'support extending from the hopper wall and having an ad-- justable thumb screw within the upper surface thereof, a compression spring positioned between the yieldable bracket and thumb screw to urge said bracket downward, an adjustable stop one end secured to a portion of the yieldable:

bracket, and a knob at the upper end of the rod seated against the upper surface of the thumb screw, whereby the yieldable bracket may be manually raised by said knob to remove the friction surfaced elements from the path of the" lowermost letter; whereby vertical adjustment of the position of the yieldable bracket may be made by manual rotation of the thumb screw, I and whereby downward adjustment of the thumb screw is adapted to be limited by the position of saidstop.

5. In a letter feedingand separating device, the combination with a hopper having a stack of letters therein and a bracket yieldably supported on one wall thereof, the bracket including friction surfaced elements thereon positioned in the path of the lowermost letters to restrict feeding to that of the lowermost letter during a feeding cycle of operation; of devices to limit the position of the friction surfaced elements in one direction and comprising, a support extending from the hopper wall and having an adjustable thumb screw within the upper surface thereof, an adjustable stop mounted within the lower surface of the support and positioned in the path of the base of the thumb screw to limit downward adjustment of the thumb screw, a manipulative rod freely movable through openings in said thumb screw and stop and having one end attached to and rotative within a portion of the yieldable bracket, a threaded portion on said rod having an internally threaded collar screwed thereon, means associated with the collar to prevent rotative movement thereof, a coil spring around said rod and compressed between the thumb screw and collar to urge the yieldable bracket downward, and a knob at the opposite end of the rod seated against the upper surface of the thumb screw, whereby the yieldable bracket may be manually raised by lifting said knob to remove the friction surfaced elements from the path of the lowermost letter; whereby vertical adjustment of the position of the yieldable bracket may be made by manual rotation of the thumb screw; and whereby rotation of the knob may effect adjustment of the compression of the spring.

WALTER T, LA BORE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number I Name Date 2,273,288 Rouan Feb. 1'7, 1942 2,344,643 Ryan et a1 Mar. 21, 1944 

